Work support



Sept. 29, 1925. 1,555,090

D. P. WICKERSHAM 4 I WORK SUPPORT Filed Jan. 7, 1924 V 2 snets sneet 1 I17 '31 amwn-tbz Sept. 29, 1925.

D. P. WICKERSHAM WORK SUPPORT ZSheats-Sheet 2' Filed Jan. '7. '1924Svwewtoz Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

DON P. WICKERSHAM, URBANA, OHIO, AS'SIGNOR TO THE URBANA EGG CASE COM- jIPANY, O'F URBANA, OHIO, A CORPORATION" OF OHIO.

WORK surron'r.

\ Application filed January 7, 1924. Serial No. 684,738.

To aZZwiwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, DON P. VVIoKERsHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Urbana, in the county of Champaign and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Vork Supports, ofwhichthe following is a specification.

. This invention relates to improvements in work'supports, it beingparticularly adapted to support certain parts of a box while the otherparts are being nailed thereto.

One of the objects of the invention is to devise a support of thischaracter particularly. adapted for holding the ends and partitions,where partitions are employed, of boxes during the nailing operation soarranged as to insure uniform dimensions of the inside of the boxesregardlessof the varying thickness of material employed in the boxes.

r1 furtherobject of the invention is to devise a work support of thischaracter which will insure a uniformandaccurate joinder of the parts:of the box.

Further objects of the invention will appearfrom the accompanyingdescription and claims; I 1

Referring to thedrawingsz.

Fig. 1 1s a sideelevatlon of a support embodying the improvements.

Fig. 2 is a-top plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view showing thetiltable cradle in its initial position. i

Fig. 4 is also an end view showing the cradle raised for the purpose oftiltingthe i Fig. :5 is an end view showing the cradle i tilted to-oneside. j r

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of F 1 Fig. '7 is a section on theline 7 7 of Fig. The machine to ,which. my invention relates isparticularlyv designed for the purpose of nailing together the sides andends of boxes or. crates such for instance as crates for egg casefillers. The endsof the box or crate, together with a centralpartition,when such a partition is desired, are first assembled in fixedpredeterminedrelation upon a tiltablecradle, which is first tilted to aposition to enable one side of the box or crate to be nailed to theendsand partition and then reversed to permit of the application of theother side of the box. There are employed 14,,the foot lever being onthe tiltable cradle a series of fixed abut ments and also a series ofclamps for clamping the box endsand central partition to the fixedabutments during the nailing process.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a a series of planks, threeinnumber in the present case, which constitute a supporting table, theseplanks being connected together on their upper sides by a series ofthree crossstrips 2 which are nailed or otherwise secured to the planks.The table issupported on a series oflegs 3 at a suitable height from thefloor. r

The tiltable cradle is constructed of a pair of spaced-apart planks 4connected together at'each end on their under sides by crossstrips 4:.The'planks 4: also have secured thereto at each end a wall 1" to each ofwhich is attached inverted V-shaped brackets 5, to the upper end of eachof which is secured alaterally projectin pin 6.. Each of these pinsprojects loose y through-an aperture in the upper end ofa plunger 7which isslidably mounted in'a sleeve8 secured to the central plank 1;the plunger having a collar 9 adjustably securedthereto by a set-screw10. A pair of levers 11 are pivotally connected to depending brackets 12beneath the table having their inner ends connected to a foot lever 13by chains pivotally connected to a depending bracket 15. The outer endsof the levers project beneath the plunger-s 7 so that when the footlever isdepressed the plungers together with the cradle will be raised.

Secured to the planks of the cradle are a series of abutmentseach in'theform of a metallic casting or stamping 16 whichhas a flat surface 17arranged perpendicular to the top surface of the planks. The abutmentsare so disposed that their surfaces 17 will facein oppositedirectionsand toward thee'ndsof the cradle for the purpose to be explained."Slidably mounted between the planks t-ofthe cradle is a slide 18preferably formed of a wooden plank of substantially the same height astheplanks 4:. To this :slide are connected a series of clamps. Two

dicular surface 17 of the abutment at one end of the machine, while theother standard 20 carries a spring clamping member 22 which cooperateswith the perpendicular surface of the central abutment. .A I thirdclamping member 23 cooperates with the perpendicular surface 17 of theabutment at the opposite end of the cradle and is mounted upon the upperend of a lever 24: which is pivotally carried by a pair of brackets 25secured to the cradle planks 4; and has its lower end loosely projectedinto a U-shaped member 26 secured to the slide 18 so that when the slideis moved the lever will be rocked to thereby move the clamping member 23in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the slide. A lever27 having one end pivoted to a pin 28 on one plank 4 of the cradle hasanaperture 29 (Fig. 6) to receive a pinor bolt 30 carried by the slide18 whereby the slide may be manipulated. A spring 30 holds the lever infrictional engagement with a plate 30 to retain it in position.

In operation, the ends and central partition 31 of a box are placed inposition against the surfaces 17 of the abutments and the slide moves soasto cause theclamps to firmly clamp these ends and sides against saidabutments. By reason of the fact that the end clamps move in oppositedirections I am enabled to place the ends of the box on the out-side ofthe abutments instead of one on the outside and the other on the insideas would be necessary should the clamps be so connected to the slide asto all move in the same direction with the slide. ing the faces of theend abutments located a fixed distance apart, depending upon thedimensions of the box desired, I am enabled to insure all of the boxeshaving uniform inside dimensions regardless of any variation in thethickness of the material employed in the boxes.

After the ends and partitions have been firmly clamped to the abutmentsin the manner described the foot lever is depressed and the cradleraised to the position shown in Fig. 4 whereupon it can be tilted to theposition shown in Fig. '5 so as to enable one side of the box to benailed to the sides and ends. The foot pedal is again depressed to raisethe cradle whereupon it can be tilted to the reverse position and theother side of the box nailed to the sides and ends. The cradle is thenplaced in the position shown in Fig. 3 to enable the bottom of the boxto be nailed to position. Y

When the cradle is tilted to the position shown in Fig. 5 or to thereverse tilted position the collars 9 coacting with the upper ends ofthe sleeves 8 form stops and by properly adjusting the collars, theupper surfaces of the planks 4: of the cradle will be brought into trueperpendicular relation By havwith the cross strips 2 so that thecross-strips and planks will act as gauges for the ends and partition toinsure that the same are in true perpendicular position while the sidesare being nailed thereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a main support, a cradle hungthereon and operable so as to be laid on either one of its sides, fixedabutments carried by said cradle, a movable member, and clamps located,respectively, on the outer sides ofsaid abutments and operable by saidmember and cooperating with said abutments to clamp the ends of a box tosaid abutments, one of said clamps being movable to clamping position inone direction and the other clamp movable simultaneously to clampingposition in the opposite direction whereby the box ends maybe clamped tothe outer surfaces of said abutments.

2. In a device of the character described, a main support, avertically-movable plunger at each end of said support, a cradlepivotally hung from the upper ends of said plungers whereby when thecradle is raised by saidplungers it may be laid upon either one of itssides, abutments secured to said cradle arranged perpendicular to thefloor thereof and in fixed relation with each other having clampingsurfaces which face in opposite directions and toward the ends of saidcradle, clamps arranged, respectively, on the clamping surface sides ofsaid abutments cooperating with said surfaces, and mechanical means forsimultaneously operating said clamps whereby box ends may be held inposition against said surfaces.

3. In a device of the character described, a main support, a cradle hungon said support and operable so as to be laid on either one side or the,other,perpendicular abutments carried by said cradle having clampingsurf-aces, each clamping surface facing toward the adjacent end of saidcradle, a clamp cooperating with each'clamping surface, and mechanicalmeans for simultaneously moving said clamps to clamping position inopposite directions so as to clamp box ends to the clamping surfaces ofsaid abutments.

41 In a device of the character described, a main support, a 'cradlehung thereon and operable so asto be laid on either of its sides, said.cradle having a floor, a pair of supported clamp cooperating with theother abutment surface and operable by said operating member tosimultaneously move in the opposite direction to the movement of theother clamp and to clamp the box ends to the other sides of saidabutments.

5. In a device of the character described, a main support, a cradle hungthereon and operable so as to be laid on either of its sides upon saidsupport, said cradle having a floor with a central space therein,abutments arranged in opposite sides of the longitudinal center of saidcradle floor and having perpendicular clamping surfaces which facetowards the ends of said floor, a slide mounted in the space in saidfloor together with means for operating the same, a clamping membercarried by said slide and cooperating with the abutment surfaces at oneend of said cradle, a second clamping member pivot-ally supported fromsaid cradle floor and operable by said sliding member to cooperate withthe other abutment surface.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day ofDecember 1923. DON P. WIOKERSHAM.

